Dr. Dang hosts webinar outlining alternative therapies in pain management

Those living with acute and chronic pain know how severely it impacts quality of life.
From limiting the ability to participate in favorite sports and activities to making simple,
daily tasks difficult, ongoing pain is debilitating.

However, many patients have benefited from alternative therapies and cutting-edge
technology that may provide pain relief where other treatments have failed, including
advanced therapies such as spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain.

“This is where a medical device that is placed under your skin, where it sends a mild
electrical current to nerves in the spine. The stimulation stops nerves from sending pain
signals to the brain,” said Dr. Saurabh Dang, who specializes in pain management at
Garden State Pain & Orthopedics.

For individuals who’ve tried a variety of treatments but continue to experience
discomfort, Garden State Pain & Orthopedics will host a free webinar on Thursday, Jan. 21
from 6:30 to 7 p.m. to discuss how quality, customized care coupled with alternative
therapies may offer pain relief.

Dr. Dang said that individuals who have a history of pain for longer than six months and
have not experienced sufficient relief from other therapies, including physical therapy,
conservative care, including over-the-counter medication and injections are the best
candidates for the procedure. In addition, patients who have persistent pain as well as
those who have persistent pain following surgery could benefit from attending.
Determining whether a patient could benefit from spinal cord stimulation treatment is a
simple process that includes a full patient assessment.

“We do a physical and we take a history and discuss what they've gone through in the
past,” Dr. Dang said.

“We discuss the risks and benefits of the procedure. Patients who
have had pain only for a short amount of time may not be good candidates. But patients
who have failed multiple therapies in the past, and then had pain for over six months to
one year, would be good candidates for the therapy.”

Spinal cord stimulation treatment helps with anything that is causing pain coming from
the nerves, which can include cervical neck pain going down the arms and back pain. It
also can help patients with something called complex regional pain syndrome, which is
known as CRPS. For people who have had herniated discs and who have had surgery
or are trying to avoid surgery, this can help with their pain. Patients who have had
surgery in the past, and are having persistent pain or worsening pain following lumbar
surgeries, are great candidates.

Individuals undergoing the procedure are under no greater risk than if they had any
other surgical procedure.

“The risks are the same as with any procedure and they include bleeding, infection and
nerve damage. But those are very rare,” Dr. Dang said.

Additionally, Dr. Dang said Garden State Pain & Orthopedics is able to assess patients who
are nervous about in-person visits due to COVID-19.

“For patients who are at a higher risk of COVID, all our physicians and all of our offices
offer telehealth services,” Dr. Dang said. “We can provide more information regarding
spinal cord stimulation and all other therapies and interventional pain management to a
patient through telehealth.”

With locations in Clifton, Edison, Hazlet and Jersey City, GSPC is comprised of a team
of highly trained, board-certified interventional pain physicians, sports medicine
physicians and an orthopedic surgeon.

To register for the free webinar on Jan. 21 from 6:30 to 7 p.m., visit
www.gardenstatepain.com/blog/living-with-pain. 

For more information, visit gardenstatepain.com or call one of the following offices:
Edison, 732-376-0330; Clifton, 973-777-5444; Hazlet, 732-376-0330; or Jersey City,
973-777-5444.

— Liz Alterman